Sherlock is my 10 month old maltipoo (11lbs). He and Noah (my 5 month goldendoodle, 17lbs) are best friends and when we're at the dog park, they tend to play only with each other. I've noticed that Sherlock has become increasingly possessive and protective of Noah. If another dog tries to play with them (particularly a bully breed, boston, pug, frenchie - all dogs that Sherlock doesn't care for), Sherlock will snap at the dog to get him away. If the dog is a poodle, maltese, coton, pom (basically a cute fluffy dog), Sherlock doesn't care as much. If a dog starts picking on Noah and gets him on his back, Sherlock will rush over and jump in front of Noah and try to protect him. If a big dog comes over to them and sniffs Noah and Sherlock gets the wrong vibe, he'll literally try to fight off a big dog (he's tried this with pit bulls, shar-peis, newfies, etc....) I'm worried he'll try it to the wrong dog some day and be eaten as lunch! Additionally, if Sherlock goes to greet a person and the person is petting him, when Noah rushes over to be pet as well, Sherlock will start barking at the person if they start petting Noah. On occasion, if someone tries to pick Noah up, Sherlock will start barking. I'm trying to take them out separately so they get used to being alone. They are in different obedience classes and I try to take them to separate play groups or to the park individually. I take them out to train individually each night. At this point, I would say Noah is way more attached to Sherlock than Sherlock is to Noah, but Sherlock is protective of Noah. Noah is a bit shy when Sherlock is not around. Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone have any suggestions? When Sherlock tries to snap* at a dog, I correct him and hold his collar so he can't chase the dog and to give him a time-out. Should I be doing this? I guess I should ask my trainers these questions, but just wanted to see if anyone else had a similar experience...
*Sherlock has snapped at dogs, but he never puts his teeth on them. He has never bit a dog or person, but I don't like the noises he makes when he snaps. Most dogs never even take this seriously because they always come back for more. He never bullies other dogs, but if he doesn't like a dog, he'll tell that dog to go away. He never humps other dogs. Dogs used to pick on him when he was really little and a puppy, but now they don't because he has matured quickly. He has never even been in a scuffle at the dog park. He is very playful and acts really differently at the park when Noah isn't there.